Classifier for crushed ores, &amp;c.



PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

R. W. WATSON.

GLASSIFIER FOR URUSHED 0113s, &o.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 26, 1900.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES I Patented November 3, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT W. WATSON, OF SILVERTON, COLORADO.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 743,120, datedNovember 3, 1903.

Application filed January 26, 1900. $eria1 No. 2.839. (No model.)

To all whom it may conZcern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT WV. WATSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Silverton, in the county of San Juan and State of Colorado,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Classifiers forCrushed Ores, &c., of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to effect the classified segregation ofthe particles of crushed ore and other like materials.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of partshereinafter described, and pointed out definitely in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of the apparatus; Fig.2, an end elevation; Fig. 3, a plan, and Fig. 4. a plan with the topremoved.

The apparatus in respect to its form resembles the well-knownSpitzkasten; but its con struction differs from the Spitzkasten in manyessential respects, and it has a radically dif ferent mode of operation.In the Spitzkasten the water in which the crushed ore is held insuspension is admitted into the top of the first compartment of the tankand it flows by gravity through the tank over the dams separating thevarious compartments thereof to the outlet-opening, which is below theinletopening. The crushed ore tends to settle in the severalcompartments; but the extent to which it settles is controlled andregulated by the upward currents of water admitted under variablepressures into the bottoms of the several compartments. The crushed oremust therefore settle through and in opposition to said upward currents,and obviously only such particles will settle as are heavy enough toresist such upward currents. It is wholly immaterial whether the top ofthe Spitzkasten tank be covered or not. In my apparatus, however, thetank A necessarily has a closing-top C and is, in fact, a closed tankthrough which the Water, holding the crushed ore in suspension, maybeforced under pressure from the inlet-opening, which is preferably nearthe bottom of the first compartment, to the outlet opening, which ispreferably near the top of the last compart- The tank A is narrowest atthe inlet end thereof and it grows progressively wider toward thedischarge end, this result being preferably obtained by means ofdiverging sides a at. These sides also converge from their tops to theirbottoms. This tank, which is a settling-tank, is divided into aplurality of compartments E E E E by transverse partitions or dams B,which are formed so as to form the oppositely-inclined front and rearwalls I) b of these compartments. These compartments are therefore inthe form of inverted four-sided pyramids. The transverse dams orpartitions B are progressivelyhigher as they are nearer the dischargeend of the tank. The tank is closed by a top or roof 0, whereby thewater may be forced under pressure from the inlet to the discharge endof the tank. As shown, the water flows from a tank D, which is highenough to give the desired head through a pipe (Z, connected over theinlet-opening a, which is separated from the first of thesettling-compartments by a dam B, over which the water must pass. Thewater in passing through the tank to the discharge-opening H passesnecessarily upward over the several dams which separate thesetthug-compartments. The current, therefore, in the tank has an upwardinclination, and it necessarily is of decreasing velocity from the inletto the discharge end because of the increasing width of the tank.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The water carrying thecrushed ore in suspension flows from the tank D through the inlet pipeinto the tank A, passing through the tank over the dams to thedischarge-opening H in. an upwardly-inclined direction and withdiminishing velocity. The heaviest particles of the crushed ore willsettle to the bottom of the first settling-chamber, from whence they maybe drawn off through the discharge-pipe G, which is connected with thelower end. The next size or class of the crushed ore will settle to thebottom of the neXt settling compartment E, and so on throughout theseveral compartments. The

settling into the several compartments of particles of different size isdue to the character of the current-via, its decreasing velocity and itsupwardly-inclined direction. The water passing out of the outlet-openingwill be found to contain substantially none of the crushed rock ormineral particles; but it will be found that such crushed rock ormineral particles, properly classified according to their size andweight, have settled to the bottom of the several compartments.

The most effective work is produced when the water-currents are brokenup, and to that end the top of the tank is raised step by step, and thelower edges of the risers c of said steps are below a plane passingbetween the tops of adjacent dams. This construction is shown by thefull lines of the drawings. The apparatus would, however, do efiectivework if the top of the tank is fiat and inclined upward, substantiallyas shown in the dotted line.

The apparatus,embodying nothing more than what has been heretoforedescribed, is a thoroughly-efficient apparatus for the pur pose stated,provided it is so constructed as to be adapted to the peculiar characterof the crushed ore which it is designed to classify. The character ofthe crushed ore rock varies, however, and to get the most satisfactoryresults out of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the foregoingdescription it would be necessary to so proportion the width of thecompartments and the height of the dams, as well as the head of thewater containing the crushed ore, as to particularly adapt it to thespecific kind of ore. In order to render the apparatus adaptable for usewith crushed ore of various grades and degrees of fineness, thedischarge-pipes G, with which the several settling-chambers areprovided, (or one or more said discharge-pipes,) are provided withlateral valved extensions J, and through these extensions water is ormay be forced under pressures which may be regulated by the valves orotherwise. This creates upward currents of water through the severalcompartments, which act upon the same principle as similar currents inthe Spitzkasten act to modify the settling of the crushed material outof the upwardly inclined main current. Thus by combining the primaryupwardly-inclined current of diminishing velocity which the apparatus isespecially adapted to produce with the upward currents from the bottomsof the several compartments any desired classification of any for usefor effecting a classified segregation of crushed ore which is held insuspension in water, it may also be used, if made air-tight, to producethe same results with respect to crushed ore carried by air-currentsthrough the same.

I claim- 1. A closed tank having an inlet-opening at one end and adischarge-opening at the other end, which tank is composed of aplurality of settling-chambers in the form of inverted pyramids, damsseparating said compartments which dams are progressively higher fromthe inlet to the outlet end thereof, a top which extends upward step bystep from the inlet to the discharge end, the risers of said steps beinglocated between said dams, dischargepipes connected with the lower endof each compartment, a means for forcing a fluid con taining the crushedmaterial in suspension through said tank from the inlet to the dischargeend thereof, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a hydraulic ore-classifier, a tank which is progressively widerfrom its inlet toward its outlet end, partitions dividing said tank intoa series of tanks, and a stepped cover rising toward the outlet end,each partition eX- tending above the planes forming the lower ends ofthe risers of the cover between which it is located whereby a current ofliquid forced the rethrou gh flows in a sinuous course in anupwardly-inclined direction with diminishing velocity, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

3. In a hydraulic ore-classifier, in combination, a tank progressivelywider from its inlet toward its outlet end, a cover rising to? ward theoutlet end of the same, means for forcing a current of watertherethrough, and partition-walls which divide said tank into aplurality of settling-chambers, the upper ends of said partition-wallshaving an overhang toward the inlet substantially as shown, so as tooppose said current, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

ROBERT XV. XVATSON.

\Vitnesses r JAMES H. ROBIN, G. H. STOIBER.

IOO

